CLINICAL HANDBOOK OF SCHIZOPHRENIA

540 VII. POLICY, LEGAL, AND SOCIAL ISSUESKEY POINTS• Public stigma, self-stigma, structural stigma, and label avoidance rob individuals of importantlife opportunities, including gainful employment, health care services, safe and comfortablehousing, relationships, and educational opportunities.• Members of society commonly react to the label of mental illness with fear and disgust,which leads to reduced contact with individuals with mental illness and minimizes their opportunitiesfor life growth.• Public stigma and self-stigma consist of their stereotypes (negative beliefs), prejudice(agreement with beliefs), and discrimination (behavior in response to beliefs).• Three approaches have been identified that diminish aspects of the public stigma experiencedby people with mental illness: protest, education, and contact.• Three specific strategies have been identified as useful for reducing self-stigma: cognitivereframing, decisions about disclosure, and empowerment programs.REFERENCES AND RECOMMENDED READINGSChamberlin, J. (1978). On our own: Patient-controlled alternatives to the mental health system. NewYork: McGraw-Hill.Corrigan, P. W. (Ed.). (2005). On the stigma of mental illness: Implications for research and socialchange. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association Press.Corrigan, P. W., & Lundin, R. K. (2001). Don’t call me nuts: Coping with the stigma of mental illness.Tinley Park, IL: Recovery Press.Goffman, E. (1963). Stigma: Notes on the management of spoiled identity. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:Prentice-Hall.Heatherton, T., Kleck, R. E., Hebl, M. R., & Hull, J. G. (Eds.). (2000). The social psychology ofstigma. New York: Guilford Press.Jones, E. E., Farina, A., Hastorf, A. H., Markus, H., Miller, D. T., & Scott, R. A. (1984). Social stigma:The psychology of marked relationships. New York: Freeman.Phelan, J. C., Cruz-Rojas, R., & Reiff, M. (2002). Genes and stigma: The connection between perceivedgenetic etiology and attitudes and beliefs about mental illness. Psychiatric RehabilitationSkills, 6, 159–185.Link, B. G., & Phelan, J. C. (2001). Conceptualizing stigma. Annual Review of Sociology, 27, 363–385.Link, B. G., Yang, L. H., Phelan, J. C., & Collins, P. Y. (2004). Measuring mental illness stigma.Schizophrenia Bulletin, 30, 511–541.Pescosolido, B. A., Monahan, J., Link, B. G., Stueve, A., & Kikuzawa, S. (1999). The public’s view ofcompetence, dangerousness, and need for legal coercion of persons with mental health problems.American Journal of Public Health, 89, 1339–1345.Stangor, C. (Ed.). (2000). Stereotypes and prejudice essential readings. Philadelphia: PsychologyPress.Wahl, O. (1997). Media madness: Public images of mental illness. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers UniversityPress.Wahl, O. (1999). Telling is risky business: Mental health consumers confront stigma. New Brunswick,NJ: Rutgers University Press.